The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-05-11
CONTAGIOUS EYE DISEASES.
How They AFRO Spread by Towels Flies
and Spcctaclcs.


and Spcctaclcs.
To mention Il fcw OF the modes of on
taGion, | have to speak. in tho first place,
of towels, especially Of that ,tlominablc
institution known as the roller towel,
which has been used so much in aSylums
whcrc forty. fifty or more children use
the Same towel, whether they havc gram
ular lids OF not. TruS, il. great many
OF these cases tho existence OF granular
lids was not known; but even in cases III
which the existence of the disease was
evident, the Ignorance or carClc5snrs; of
the persons in charge has allowed trans
mission by means of towels TO bN onA Of
the most frequent sources of contaSiOn.
As II carrier Of the contagion the house
fly plays mn important role, especially i'll
cases Cf young children who are not allo
to protect themselves against IN" visits Of
this little animal. Attracted by tho
swCctiSli oder &C the dischar%" it will SCtL
tie upon the eyes Of children affected
with tn disease, ~Caurciullv infants. and
carry the contaGion in its claws to tn
other eye or the eyes of sleeping Infants.
Spcctaclcs may lc the carrier uf The
contaGion. ] remember the case of II
| young lady who could not explain salts
factorily how she came to have granular
'N'' W. ~ iNN''ii Nv 'ii' ~ I
toned that she had granular lids, whcrc-
upon ono of her classmates said: why,
that Is the disease which | nave br"n Suf-
fcring from for tho last six months"
This ClasSnate was near sighted and uScl
glasses. My patient was also near sighted.
but had not usHd glasses, and Whenever
she wanted to SEQ anything ut Il distance
she was in the habit of borrowing the
spcctaclcS OF her friend. and there l., no
doubt in my mind that this was tho
means of carrying the poison from tho
classmates eye to my PATIENTS rye.
Children with granular lids are very
apt to rub tho eyes, because the Sccrc-
ton, Is it begins to dry on the edge of
the lids. causes an irritating. itching
sensation. They will now play with other
children, md from their hands transfer
the poison to tho hands of the other chill
drcn. and these latter rubbing their eyes
contract the disease. handling objects
which have been uscl lH granular lids
patients may be the means of carrying
the contagion. y Young lady who vol
untccrcd to teach children affected With
granular lids. and who had been isolated
from other children in a certain iuStitu-
ton. was warned To he extremely careful
with regard To using handk"rchi"rs.
toW'lS' OF anything Wlllch bclOllScu 10
the children. She was well aware Of tho
danger, n promised to bc very careful.
She handled nothing whatever, she said,
that belonged 30 the children, left her
cloak outside. and in the class room kept
away from the children Il distance of five
or six feet. But upon examination NJ her
eyes, fourteen days after she had taken
Office. il was found that She began tosuf"
fer with granular lids. Upon Inquiry |
found that she had taken copylooks and
states of the children for correction. and
in all probability She got the poison from
tltc States and books ON her hands and
h conveyed it to her eyes. y teacher
of another section in the same institution
was moro careful; She simply walked into
the class room, did NOT touch anything
belonging To the children, and for two or
three months, during tho duration of this
epidemic. she was not affected by the dis
ease. The atmosphere had evidently not
been thc carrier of the %Contagion in tho
first ctsc.-Aicdic%la and Surgical Reporter.